Luton

Luton's population expanded in the decade to 2011. Data from the census also show there were changes in religion, ethnicity and housing tenure.

The population passed 200,000

Between the last two censuses, the population of Luton increased by 10%, from about 184,000 to 203,000.

The addition of just under 19,000 people means this area's population increased faster than the rate of growth across England (up 7.9% since the 2001 census).

In 2011, Luton was home to, on average, 33 people per football pitch-sized piece of land. This made it Eastof England's most densely-populated unitary authority.

Population density was higher than the average across Eastof England

Population density (usual residents per football pitch-sized piece of land) across Eastof England, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

A younger Luton

Census 2011 data also show a change in the local population's average age.

Between the last two censuses, the median age of Luton decreased by one year, from 33 to 32 years.

This urban area had the second-lowest average age in Eastof England and remained younger than the average local authority area across England (39 years of age).

The fall in age was because of an increase of just over 7,100 people between the ages of 20 and 29 years, while the population between 60 and 69 years decreased by about 100.

About 17% of people in Luton are aged between 20 and 29 years

Percentage of usual residents in England, East and Luton by 10 year age band, March 2001 and March 2011

Religion in Luton

The number of people in Luton that described themselves as Muslim increased from about 27,000 in 2001 to about 50,000 in 2011. This represents a change from 15% to 25% of the local population.

The percentage increased by more than the average across Eastof England (from 1.6% to 2.7%) and the average across England (from 3.2% to 5.2%).

The number of people in Luton that described themselves as Christian decreased from just under 110,000 in 2001 to just over 96,000 in 2011 (from 60% to 47%). The number of people who described themselves as having no religion increased from just under 26,000 to about 34,000 (from 14% to 17%).

About 12,000 people (7.2%) did not state their religion, down from just over 13,000 in 2001 (6.1%).

The population who identified as Muslim in Luton increased by 10 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, East and Luton by religion, March 2001 and March 2011

Ethnicity in Luton

The number of people in Luton from the White ethnic groups decreased from just over 130,000 in 2001 to just over 110,000 in 2011. This represents a change from 72% to 55% of the local population.

The percentage decreased by more than the average across Eastof England (from 95% to 90%) and the average across England (from 91% to 85%).

The number of people in Luton from the Asian or Asian British ethnic groups increased from just under 35,000 in 2001 to just under 61,000 in 2011 (from 19% to 30%). The number of residents from the Black, Black British, Caribbean or African ethnic groups increased from just under 12,000 to just under 20,000 (from 6.3% to 9.8%).

About 8,300 people (2.6%) said they were from Mixed/multiple ethnic groups (White and Asian, White and Black African, White and Black Caribbean or Other Mixed), up from about 4,700 in 2001 (4.1%).

The population from the White ethnic groups in Luton decreased by 17 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, East and Luton by ethnicity, March 2001 and March 2011

Rise in private renting

The percentage of households in Luton that rented privately increased from 12% to 23% in the 10 years leading up to 2011.

The percentage that lived in social housing remained close to 16%, while the percentage of Luton households that owned their home decreased from 70% to 60%.

The proportion of privately rented homes increased faster here than in any other local authority district across Eastof England. As a result, this area had the region’s second highest proportion of privately rented homes.

Cambridge had Eastof England's highest proportion of privately rented homes (26%), while Southend-on-Sea had the region's third highest proportion (22%).

Private renting in Luton increased by 11 percentage points

Percentage of households in Luton, Eastof England and England that rented privately, March 2001 and March 2011

More people worked short hours

Luton saw Eastof England's largest rise in the proportion of people working less than 16 hours in a week.

In 2011, just over 1 in 30 (3.6%) people aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) in Luton said they had worked less than 16 hours the previous week, compared with 1.9% in 2001. The percentage that worked over 49 hours in a week decreased from 12% to 7.8%.

Across the region, Norwich saw the next largest increase in the proportion of people working less than 16 hours in a week (from 2.4% in 2001 to 4.0% in 2011).

Every local authority area across Eastof England saw a rise in the proportion of people working less than 16 hours in a week, as the regional average grew from 1.9% to 2.9%.

The proportion of people working less than 16 hours in a week in Luton increased by 1.7 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) in Luton, Eastof England and England that said they had worked less than 16 hours the week before completing the census, March 2001 and March 2011

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